Tag Archives: dancing

First off, whoa. I hope you’re ready for an emotional ride with this book. It packs a punch that will leave you breathless, giddy, and full of hope.

If I wasn’t already fairly close to my siblings, this book would have me reaching out to them in a heartbeat. In fact, even though we are close, I almost put the book down to go hang out with them.

Serena is a high school senior who, before the start of the book, loses her brother to a hate crime. He is brutally murdered and left in the gutter because he’s gay. At the start of the book, Serena knows virtually nothing about who he was, and her parents are stuck in a catatonic state.

Through a series of events that can only be described as fate, Serena befriends hot boy Brodie and they meet Lance. Because of these meetings, Serena starts to learn more about the brother she had, and wishes more than anything she could have him back to talk to him.

My heart broke throughout the book for Serena and her family. Seeing her suffering from the loss was painful, but at the same time, watching the love of Brodie and Lance unfold through her eyes was beautiful. I could feel how intense it was by the words the author uses to describe their looks, their movements, and every other last detail.

Secrets are revealed throught the book, and I won’t ruin them here, but let’s just say I stayed up very late to finish it. I just couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what happened. In the end, Serena finds the courage to confront her brother’s killer with the help of her brother’s best friend, boyfriend, and her mother.

Also, the ending scenes with The Showdown? I would pay seriously good money to see this as a movie because of that scene. Barnes chose the PERFECT song for the dance sequence, and it was running through my head throughout it. So beautiful.

Do yourself a favor. Get this book. Read it. And then go hang out with your siblings and get to know who they REALLY are.

Mesmerized is available for purchase on the Bold Strokes Books website, or through Amazon.